Kicking bad design habits in listings
We’ve shared with you the current trends of chandeliers and turquoise as well as extremely stylish wall stencils in an effort to bring those that believe gold, glass and gawd are still in. When an agent advises a listing client to keep everything as is and convinced that forest green walls and foofy maroon sheers will sufficiently sell a home, we cringe.
In that vein, today we share with you the trend of black in interior design. Don’t freak out, that’s not a typo, we mean it. Black as night is very in right now and not just in accents but in furniture (not as in 1983 stuffed leather loungers), fabrics, curtains, floors, and all four walls in a room. The surprising part about black is that it’s not being used in man caves, it has become a very classic and sometimes feminine color.
Take for example Toronto interior designer Jane Hall’s personal home which has black in every single room. She was just featured on HGTV Canada’s blog for her eclectic and innovative design.
Below each picture below, we point to the trends inside the images that we’re seeing in interior design. We encourage you to find the trends that you like and recommend them to your listing clients or even to your buyers who have a hard time imagining how they can customize their own white box of a house.
All black walls?
Yes, folks, behold the all black walls. We start with the trickiest of trends because in most cases, this will be horridly executed and make a room look like a torture dungeon. If black is to be used, we recommend a dark charcoal grey rather than stark black, and the more high quality the paint, the better. Your clients should splurge on paint and paint tools if doing it themselves, or simply hire a quality painter who uses quality paint. We’re seeing more matte finishes in black walls and gloss should only be used in very specific situations like high rises or rooms filled with windows. Lastly, if a room doesn’t have great natural light or amazing canned lighting, black won’t work, period.
Pops of pink
We love the pops of magenta in this room and point out the various textures and angles. Not all furniture is squarely up against the wall, of the same color, collection or even era. The room feels bright because of the accent wall that matches the exaggerated curtains and crisp glossy white crown molding and baseboards. Also note that even though there are a lot of accessories, they’re all grouped together to appear as one and the floor is highly visible despite there being a big black rug.
Classic + modern = sophisticated
This one piece of Jane Hall’s furniture is insanely beautiful and represents innovative thinking that is not seen frequently but can be replicated (probably not as well, but we can try, right?). Note that the seat has multiple fabrics on the actual furniture and a collection of mis-matched pillows, yet they are all cohesive. They’re not just cohesive with this light pink ladie’s room that is an amazing compliment to the bright magenta in the living room, they’re cohesive with the entire house with repeating themes of floral patterns, black, pink and luxurious fabrics and textures. The use of black in this room is beautiful and not at all overpowering, yet ties everything together, so use black as a neutral, it’s okay!
What do you think of using black in interior decorating? Would it work in your clients’ homes or your own? We won’t tell if you’re getting inspired for your own home!
Photos by Harry Gils for HGTV Canada.
